d regard his dearest foe as his nearest friend
and again he would act toward his most intimate companion as if the
latter were thoroughly hostile. In general, he thought it bad policy
for the independent sovereign to reveal his state of mind; this was the
source, he said, of great failures, but by the opposite course even more
successes, and greater, were attained. If he had merely followed this
method without complications, he would have had no protection against
such as had come to know him; they would have taken everything by
contraries and would have deemed his saying that he did not wish
something to be equivalent to his ardently desiring it, and that he was
eager for something equivalent to his not being concerned about it. It
happened, however, that he became angry if any one gave evidence of
understanding him. Many were those he put to death for no other offence
than having comprehended him. It was a dangerous matter, then, to fail to
understand him--for many were ruined by approving what he said instead of
what he wished,--but still more dangerous to understand him. Such persons
were suspected of discovering his practice and being consequently
displeased with it. Practically the only sort of man that could maintain
himself,--and such a person is rarely found,--was one who did not
misunderstand his nature yet did not subject it to uncomfortable
exposure. Under these conditions men would not be deceived by believing
him nor be hated for revealing their comprehension of his policy. For he
gave plenty of trouble both to any one who opposed what he said and to
any one who favored it. As he was really anxious for one thing to be
done but wanted to appear to desire something different, he invariably
regarded those who took either side as his opponents and therefore was
hostile to the one class because of his real feelings, and to the other
for the sake of appearances.

[-2-] It was due to this characteristic that, as emperor, he sent a
dispatch straight from Nola to the legions and provinces declaring that
he was emperor. This name, which was voted him along with the rest, he
would not accept, and though taking the portion of Augustus he would not
adopt this title of his. At a time when he was already surrounded by the
body-guards he asked the senate to help him escape suffering any violence
at the burial of the emperor's body. He was afraid some men might snatch
it up and burn it in the Forum, as they had that of Caes